


Ready to fight

by ElevenGaleStorms



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Baby Driver, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Arno isn't really like Baby though, F/M, Genderbend, Getaway Driver!Female Arno Dorian, Haytham is only mentioned, Hitman!Shay Cormac, Minor Crossover with Watch Dogs, but I like to consider it a Baby Driver AU though, there are differences in my opinion, this is more of a getaway driver AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-06 21:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11609715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElevenGaleStorms/pseuds/ElevenGaleStorms
Summary: Arno never asked for this life, but it was what she got. When she meets a charming red-headed bartender, Arno decides to hold onto something good for once. The question is will she be able to with her pigheaded boss still coercing her into his heists? Female Arno Dorian. Baby Driver AU.





	Ready to fight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maria_and_Aguilars_Codex_1492](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maria_and_Aguilars_Codex_1492/gifts).



> In which I try to write a Baby Driver AU with Fem!Arno in it. I hope you enjoy this one-shot. Also, I do not own the lyrics in here. Please tell me if I am not supposed to put them in here.
> 
> To Maria_and_Aguilars_Codex_1492:  
> I don't know if you like Baby Driver or not. But your Killer Queen story inspired me to write this. If you don't like this, feel free to refuse the gift. I don't mind. Still, I do hope you enjoy this.

Arno liked to think of her life as one big playlist with a song for everything.

Relationships. People. Events.

Everything.

It helped keep things organized… and meaningful. To think that everything had a place seemed to give things meaning.

Perhaps, that was why she got in the habit of listening to music even when on the ‘job’ sometimes however dangerous it was to do so.

But it was worth the risk. That odd habit of hers started during That Incident.

And as she pondered this behind a glass of wine in her favorite bar, Arno wondered if she could have done anything differently. Something to save her mentor…

_It was supposed to be a simple job. Well, as simple as it would get for a getaway driver. She was just supposed to be a replacement driver in case things went wrong and just ‘watch and learn’ per say._

_Oh, how wrong she was._

_Things went horribly wrong from the start with the injury of but Gabriel was never one to abandon a job much less his clients, no matter if they were low-lives._

_That cost her mentor his life._

_Arno was watching Gabriel change the gears in preparation as their clients went into the car._  
_All she knew then was a loud sound and ringing in her ears._

_Only later did she note the presence of blood splattered across her pale face._

_Her mentor’s murderer pointed the gun at her with mad desperation apparent in his eyes, “Drive.”_

_Once, Arno had gotten nervous in her first time driving with Gabriel for a job. They had almost gotten caught and her mentor got injured by a stray and supposedly unlikely gunshot. She was forced to drive the getaway car and get everyone to safety…_

_Arno had panicked._

_“Just keep driving, Arno.” Gabriel had said. And so she did._

_Arno drove on with his blood still smeared on her pale tear-streaked face. The murderer of her now deceased mentor being driven to safety by her..._

The woman turned the volume up on her headphones in response to the distressing reminiscence of her past.

There was no point in remembering the past. Nothing could change it.

She just had to keep driving.

“Are you okay, mademoiselle?” Arno looked up to hazel eyes staring curiously at her.

“Oh, I’m… fine.” The man chuckled at the apparently unsure response.

“It looks like you could use a drink, Miss….?”

“Dorian. Arno Dorian,” she said. It wouldn’t hurt to give her name to some random bartender.

“Elijah De La Serre. Pleased to meet you, Mademoiselle Dorian.” Elijah grinned.

“And you too, Monsieur De La Serre,” Arno replied. She turned the volume in her headphones down in interest.

Maybe tonight wouldn’t just be full of drinking and sulking in some bar.

* * *

After that night, Arno made a habit of going to the same bar after every job. Occasionally, Bellec, head of the Bonnot Gang otherwise known as the Brotherhood by some, would question her sudden favoritism of an out of the way bar.

Arno, ah, politely told to shove it.

When it came to her pigheaded ‘boss’, having a forceful approach was best.

Arno had a rough job that day. With a rather stupid client combined with the greediness of their crew, she had her hands full just trying to keep them alive.

If she hadn’t told herself a thousand times, Arno would question why she did her job in the first place.

Unfortunately for the occupants of the bar, she tended to start fights when someone triggered her. It was safe to say that some poor soul stumbled into her and was greeted by an elbow to the face.

“Arno… you’re going to put this place out of business, at the rate you’re going.” That saddened yet amused tone of Elijah was soothing to her ears.

Like music except without the rhythm. Hm, maybe that was why she liked him so much.

“I’ll just keep this place afloat then with my pay.” He rolled his eyes at her remark.

The bartender held a hand for her to hold as he helped her gingerly get her sore self off the stool, “Come on. You can stay at my place, tonight.”

“Really? I thought you didn’t want your father to see me.” Arno teased playfully.

“It’s about time he knew. My poor father can’t be in the dark forever.”

“I’m sure that is a possibility...” Arno dramatically sighed at the end. Despite her dramatics, the Frenchwoman took her lover’s hand.

She was never one to be deterred from what she wanted.

* * *

Arno never had many attachments in her life. Lovers were even rarer in her lists of relationships.

The most memorable one was Shay Patrick Cormac.

He worked under a former client, Haytham Kenway also known as the Grandmaster of the Templars.

Arno met him as his getaway driver as they needed a ride away from a… particularly bloody scene.

Let it be said it was a rough ride for them. Arno never liked bloodshed and casualties on the job, especially after That Incident.

Her paycheck could afford some dents if it meant giving a little justice to those who wrecked chaos even if she was one of those said people.

Shay joked a bit during the ride as she took the… interesting route to say the least. When Haytham and Shay miraculously survived through her ride, he asked her out for dinner.

Arno didn’t understand men much less Shay.

Still, she took up on his offer and that one date turned into several more…

Soon, Arno was in a relationship with him and things seemed to be going okay. At least until, Bellec, being the Cannard he was, decided to inform her that yes, Shay Cormac, was a hitman….

Arno cut off things immediately.

Usually, people would say it was themselves and not their former partner when breaking things off. In her case, it actually was Shay’s fault. Arno just couldn’t deal with dating a killer.

Arno was many things, but being a cold-blooded killer wasn't one of them much less a person that could date one.

Her relationship with Elijah was the longest relationship she had and the most valued one by far.

It wasn’t quite love but it was the closest damn thing she had to it.

* * *

“This is the last time.” Enough was enough. Arno had enough of transporting low-lives and murderers to safety. She wanted out as she never wanted in to begin with.

Arno was forced into this life by the ever so ominous debt.

“It’s over when I say it’s over, pisspot.” Arno gritted her teeth in anger. The music playing in her headphones did nothing to soothe the festering irritation and rage in her.

Bellec leaned closer with that arrogant smirk of his, “I own you. Don’t you remember, Dorian?” Ah, the Cannard saved her life and in return, she was forced into a life of servitude for him by doing the thing she hated most:

Driving the scum of society to safety and away from the not so powerful hand of justice.

With Gabriel, things were different. He chose his clients carefully and made sure there were no casualties. His way of doing things was clean unlike Bellec’s which always involved dramatics and bloodshed.

The worst thing was that everyone who died had their blood on her hands, just like Gabriel’s.

* * *

Bellec decided to be even more of a bastard than he already was.

He forced her into another heist. This one was bigger and something was wrong… Arno could feel it with the intuition gifted to her by years on the job.

The foreboding feeling nagged at her until she relented by calling in a few favors. Aiden Pearce, an expert hacker and someone who owed a particularly large favor, managed to dig up on intel on the heist.

It was a suicide mission. At least, for Arno.

The plan involved on using the getaway drivers as distractions. A retarded yet somehow still a somewhat sensible plan.

This broke the proverbial camel’s back for Arno.

She was done.

* * *

“Let’s run away together.” Arno breathed out over the phone. She was still out of breath for running several blocks to reach the nearest phone.

“Wha-”

“I’m in deep trouble. Enough to get me killed. Will you come with me?” Please say yes, she mentally begged. She didn’t want to leave without him. He would be in da-

Oh, who was she kidding? Arno was just being selfish and wanted Elijah beside her.

“Okay,” Arno blinked in surprise. Say what?, “Let’s do it.”  
A hysterical laugh bubbled out of her lips. He said yes!

“Okay. I’ll go get the car. Make sure to pack those blankets of yours. And the necessary essentials. You still have that kit of your-” Arno babbled.

“Arno.”

“-Oh and bring that pistol I know you’ve been hiding like I’m some kind of idiot.”

“Arno!” His sudden change of tone made her quit her rambling.

“I’ll get everything ready. You just… get the car, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll go do that.” Arno shook a breath to calm herself. She changed her playlist to the calming cafe music that she managed to snag from Cafe Theatre’s owner. The soothing instrumental music brought a sense of home to her being as she spent much time around the music as her father brought her there often as a child…

No. Now was not the time to think about her father.

Focus, Arno. Elijah. Escape. Freedom.

Yes, she needed to concentrate.

* * *

 

“You have a nice lover. A De La Serre, is he?” Arno stiffened. Bellec was doing what she think he was…

“Let’s keep it that way.” he continued on. Arno narrowed her eyes behind her sunglasses. The music playing in her headphones didn't drown out what he said. The beeping sound soon overtook the conversation as Bellec hung up.

A foreboding feeling came with his sudden warning.

Wait… no. Please no.

Arno quickly dialed Elijah’s number only for him to not answer. She got out of her parked car and went into the apartment.

There were signs of a struggle.

The driver breathed out and played that playlist. She would need to call in a few favors to get Elijah back.

But she could do this. She could get him back.

* * *

“Are you sure about this?” Aiden Pearce said with his unusually gravelly voice. He handed the things she requested to her.

“I don’t have any other option. Remember the plan, Aiden.” Arno put her car in reverse and sped out of the underground car garage.

There wasn’t much time left.

She looked her phone on the seat next to her. All it would take for the plan to start was a simple text message. Although, Aiden and Jordi would need to take care of a few… things before proceeding to the next stage.

In the mean time, Arno had an Irishman to meet.

* * *

“Say what, lass?” Shay raised an eyebrow at her request.

“I want you to go against Bellec. He is the leader of a rival gang, isn’t he? I thought that is what you do.” She made the slitting throat gesture as well as the gun.

Shay chuckled apparently from the hilarity of her actions, “I didn’t realize before. But you are actually quite innocent, Arno.”

“I’m afraid that I am already taken.” Shay seemed to be disappointed for a few seconds before he shrugged it off.

“What a shame. Still, we were good friends before and it wouldn’t do any harm to take out a rival gang leader. I’ll check with Haytham.”

“Thank you, Shay. I really do appreciate this.” Shay shook his head.

“Think nothing of it, lass. I owe you a favor, anyhow. Just go save that redhead of yours.” he smirked. Arno’s lips quirked up into a resemblance of a smile. Shay always was a good friend despite his chosen occupation and he never failed to make her smile.

Arno supposed that was why she dated him for a while.

“Contact me if Haytham approves.”

“I sure will, lass!” The Irishman called out. Arno rolled her eyes at his antics as she walked to her car. Some things never changed.

* * *

“I have good news. The hit is authorized.” Arno rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes before she jolted from the news.

“Already? I thought it took weeks-”

“I have a close working relationship with my boss. Let’s just call it that, lass.”

“I don’t know what to say- I’ll have to make it up to you later with another favor I suppose.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t mind seeing you again.” the teasing tone in his accented voice made her once again roll her eyes.

“Must I remind you that I am in a relationship? And a steady one at that.” A sigh came over the phone.

“Okay, Okay.” Shay relented.

“Good. Now, what time is the hit? I’ll drive you myself.”

“Oh, I’m flattered, lass.” Shay almost purred out.

“I would imagine so,” Arno said dryly. Her friend would never change. She opened her father’s pocket watch to check the time, “I’ll pick you up at my apartment at 2 PM Sharp. No delays.”

“Always the meticulous one, Arno.” She hung up the phone. Meaningless pleasantries weren't necessary with her friend.

Besides, there was a job to do.

* * *

“Right on time,” Shay remarked as he got into the car.

“It comes with the job.” Being late got you killed in her line of work. It was a forced habit drilled in by Gabriel to always be on time.

She winced slightly at the thought of her mentor before focusing. She needed to Elijah and then they could leave this all behind.

Freedom. Such a blissful concept and something she blindly desired with all her body and soul for.

It was so close she could taste it and all it would take to attain it was ironically a hitman, a team of hackers, and a car. Discounting herself, of course.

Speaking of hitmen, Shay was preparing his weapons in the back, most likely on purpose to unnerve her with the sight of weapons.

That wouldn’t work anymore.

While Arno wouldn’t kill any innocents, Bellec and his merry band of robbers and criminals were free game. Sure, blood would be on her hands.

But they were already blood stained, to begin with.

She would make sure they were dead. All of them. Her clean slate would then be ‘squeaky clean’ as some would say. Even if she had to tie Bellec's body to an anchor at the bottom of the Atlantic

And as Shay made his routine preparations in the back, Arno pressed on the accelerator and sent that one simple text to Aiden.

The hunt was on.

* * *

“It looks like a few buddies of yours wants to have a chat.” Arno looked over her sunglasses at the rearview mirror to see two black cars tailing them.

“Hang on.” Those simple words probably didn’t describe how much Shay needed to actually be ready.

Arno viciously swerved the car so that it skidded to a turn before accelerating once more into the lane under construction…

With traffic going past her in the next lanes over.

The smooth voice of Indila sung Dernière Danse into her ears as she found an opening in the flow of traffic and reentered her previous lane in between two identical cars.

**_Oh ma douce souffrance_ **  
**_Pourquoi s'acharner tu recommence_ **  
**_Je ne suis qu'un être sans importance_ **

She gave a nod to the passengers of the cars.

Thank you, Jordi Chin.

“Sometimes, I think your driving is reckless, not skillful,” Shay said as he seemed to have gotten thrown around.

“I wonder the same too.”

**_Sans lui je suis un peu paro_ **  
**_Je déambule seule dans le métro_ **  
**_Une dernière danse_ **

Arno made another turn to get off the road before going to into an alley and parking, ‘We’re here.“

Shay looked at the alley, which apparently was not the Bonnot Gang’s hideout, “I’m sorry to say this, lass. But I can’t fly to Bellec’s if that’s what you want me to do.” One similarity Arno and Shay had was the dry humor they possessed.

**_Pour oublier ma peine immense_ **  
**_Je veux m'enfuir que tout recommence_ **

“I’m waiting for the signal-” A sudden notification from her phone interrupted her statement. She swipes the screen to unlock and saw the text.

It was time.

“Let’s go.” The car went into reverse and they went out of the alley and into the road once more.

**_Oh ma douce sufferance-_ **

Arno muted the music. The danger had passed.

* * *

Arno had her music on shuffle, so it surprised her when ‘Ready to fight’ by Roby Fayer.

American music. What a pleasant surprise.

**_You once said,_ **  
**_I'll never walk away,_ **  
**_I'll never sail away,_ **  
**_I'll never go_ **

 Arno shifted the gears in the car for preparation. She revved the engine before gunning it down the road.

The men guarding the chain-link gates just managed to avoid the speeding vehicle. Arno had ducked down to avoid the bullets hitting the windows.

Oh, how she hated guns.

She managed to lose them in the cargo docks and halted to a stop in one of the garages in Bellec’s hideout. Arno jumped out before alerting one of the guards.

**_And I was there standing outside your door_ **  
**_Waiting for you to show me how to stay_ **

“Hey! Who’s there?” She hid behind the car until the guard got closer.

**_I've been there before,_ **  
**_Hoping and trying to make things right_ **  
**_But now I don't know_ **

And then she struck.

Moving in time with the electronic beat of the music, her telescopic baton whipped out and slid between the guard’s body and the length of his arm. She grabbed the opposite handle of her weapon before twisting it to pin the man’s arm to his body like a chicken wing.

**_Honey, these arms that won't held you are_ **  
**_Ready to fight_ **  
**_Ready to fight_ **

The man was crippled by a swift blow to the head. She patted the guard's body down before finding the access key.

**_You once said_ **  
**_I'll never walk away,_ **  
**_I'll never sail away,_ **  
**_I'll never go_ **

The shadow of another person could be seen through her peripheral vision and Arno brought out her pistol. Just as the other guard turned the corner, she shot him in the head.

**_And I was there, standing outside your door_ **  
**_Waiting for you to show me how to stay!_ **

How anticlimactic, a part of her thought. She supposed that she always did like a little dramatics, so a little disappointment could be felt at her rather lackluster performance.

She harshly slammed the extended baton against the floor to close it.

Bellec truly had little to no security to here discounting the two guards armed with machine guns. Then again, Shay might have already taken care of most of them.

Arno shook her head in exasperation. He always was one to try and get ahead of the rest.

**_I've been there before,_ **  
**_Hoping and trying to make things right_ **  
**_(But now I don't know)_ **  
**_But now I don't know_ **

Arno cocked her gun in anticipation. It was time.

**_Honey, these arms that won't held you are_ **

**_READY TO FIGHT,_ **  
**_Honey, these arms that won't held you are_ **  
**_Ready to fight_ **  
**_Ready to fight_ **

She was ready to fight. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I am wincing at the fight scenes as well as the driving ones in here but I don't know how to fix it other than just deleting it. Honestly, I am really bad at writing them, but at least I tried. Well, I hope you enjoyed this. Thanks for reading!


End file.
